The Federal Government says it is distributing Solar Home Power Systems to thousands of women in Delta State in a fresh push by the Ministry of Women Affairs to combat energy poverty while empowering women across Nigeria.
Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs, flagged off the large-scale rollout under the Renewed Hope Women’s Empowerment Programme, marking what she describes as the beginning of “strategic interventions” to reshape the socio-economic future of Nigerian women and girls.
The empowerment event in Asaba is seeing beneficiaries receive Solar Home Power Systems, 50kg bags of rice, and fabrics, part of what the Ministry calls high-impact initiatives under a national strategy to drive gender equity, economic inclusion, and cleaner energy use.
“These solar systems are bridges to opportunity,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim says during the launch, emphasising that the intervention is going beyond handouts. “They will provide safe and reliable energy, improve household security, reduce health risks from kerosene and firewood, and empower women-owned micro-enterprises to thrive. For us, one of our goals is to end energy poverty.”
She says the programme is deliberately targeting women and vulnerable groups, offering them tools not just for survival, but for thriving in a digital and clean energy future.
“We are here today to officially flag off the Renewed Hope Women’s Empowerment Programme for Delta State, which is part of the strategic interventions we are rolling out across the nation to empower our women socially, economically, and politically,” the Minister tells participants at the launch.
In her address, Sulaiman-Ibrahim is calling on recipients to view the support as a platform for long-term growth, rather than temporary relief.
“When a woman is empowered with economic assets, she changes her household,” she says. “When she is equipped with clean energy, she saves her health, her time, and her dreams. When she is given a voice in leadership, she transforms communities, policies, and futures.”
The solar energy initiative, she adds, is just one part of a nationwide transformation, as the Ministry is rolling out similar projects across Nigeria aimed at placing women at the centre of the nation’s development.
What You Should Know:
The Solar Home Power Systems are part of an evolving nationwide energy access programme, with the Women’s Ministry championing women-led empowerment through clean and sustainable technology. The Asaba event, according to the Ministry, is one in a series expected to accelerate digital inclusion, economic participation, and grassroots development for Nigerian women.
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